


Crimson Shroud

by mandoesthatfeelgood



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles X
Genre: characters/warnings will update as necessary, i can't summary I'm sorry, this is what happens when you name the redshirts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-19 18:59:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9456305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandoesthatfeelgood/pseuds/mandoesthatfeelgood
Summary: When Chelsea Johnson enlisted in BLADE, she never entertained any fantasies of glory in combat. Even so, Interceptor life turned out to be a lot more than she bargained for. Multi-part fic set during the events of the main story of XCX.





	

Chapter 1: “Family”

As the Ganglion descended upon the Miran colony of New Los Angeles, humanity’s future looked grim. From the moment the order came down for all civilians to evacuate, everyone knew that the events of the next few hours would determine the ultimate fate of the human race. Nearly every able-bodied BLADE was called upon to defend the city while the rest of humanity and their xenoform allies took shelter in the massive, near-impregnable flagship of the Ma-non. 

Among those taking refuge was an eighteen year old BLADE-in-training named Chelsea Johnson. She was barred from participating in the battle, as she hadn’t yet completed her training. As the battle drew near, she was fraught with worry over her older brother Ashton. He was the leader of a skilled Interceptor team that had been tasked with holding a key defensive position within the city. He was responsible for holding one of the only avenues to the Administrative District, and the enemy was sure to hit it hard. Before he went off on sortie, he had looked her in the eye with the utmost confidence and promised her that he would come back safe and sound.

A promise wasn’t enough to make her stay put, however. The projected survival rate for this battle was much too low for that. Even as she set foot on the ship, she was already planning her eventual escape. As the ship prepared to take off, she had taken position in an excellent vantage point in the upper balcony of the ship’s residential quarter. Feigning nonchalance, she had spent the last fifteen minutes observing the exit guards as they made their rounds, looking for any openings in their patrols. 

Unfortunately, even the woefully understaffed Mediators had managed to cover any possible avenue of escape. By the time she even saw a glimpse of an opportunity to sneak past the guards, the ship had already drifted above the waters of Primordia, far away from the city. She’d have to be an awfully good swimmer to get to NLA now.

That didn’t stop her from considering it for a moment. It was tempting, but even with a mimeosome, she’d wouldn’t even get close to the city before becoming a midnight snack for some wandering lophid.

“Ugh,” she groaned and shook her head in frustration.

Turning around, she leaned over the railing and gazed down on the crowd of civilians and xenoform refugees gathered below. Aside from a few side conversations that she couldn’t make out, the chamber was almost deathly silent. Scattered among the population were couples embracing and groups of people gathering in prayer. Many others were curled up in the fetal position, nearly consumed by fear and despair. 

It was a chilling, but not unfamiliar sight. When the xenos had attacked Earth, Chelsea had got a stark view of how people reacted to the threat of extinction. She had hoped never to bear witness to something like that ever again, but it seemed the Ganglion had other plans.

Her gaze shifted to the floor. Perhaps it had been naive to think she would ever have a peaceful life.

She shivered as the night air rushed into the residential quarters. Instinctively, she wrapped Ashton’s old varsity jacket tightly around her. Adorned in the her old high school’s colors, the jacket was a hand-me-down, given to her when Ashton had shipped off to Basic. Though she never really grew into it, the jacket served as a precious memento of a simpler time.

She cracked a wry smile. “Heh. Go Jaguars,” she said to herself.

It had only felt like a few months since she was last in high school, but those days seemed so far away now. She wished desperately that she could go back to the time where her biggest concerns were passing Calculus and whether or not Damien Albright was going to ask her to the prom. 

She frowned. Damien Albright was gone now, and instead of Calculus, she was learning how to blast indigens from a thousand yards away.

A lump formed in her throat and she started to choke up. It was happening again. The feeling that came with the knowledge that her life would never be the same again. Once pleasant memories turned into grim reminders of how powerless she really was.

The sheltered life she once knew was gone. Her brother was the only person she had left, and all she could do was wait while he was risked his life for humanity. 

“Dammit...why…” Her voice quavered and her hands started to shake again. It took all she had to keep her composure, but she crossed her arms and tried to put her mind on something else.

As if the cruel hand of fate had granted her wish, the roar of an explosion rang out through the residential quarters. The thundering of the shockwave left her ears ringing. Startled, Chelsea spun toward the direction of the sound. 

“What the hell?!” she yelled. 

Around her, all hell broke loose as the entire ship erupted in a panic. Fearing an attack on the ship, people scrambled toward any exit they could find. It was all the stationed Mediators could do to keep them from abandoning ship.

However, Chelsea paid little attention to the uproar. She was preoccupied with that explosion. A chill coursed through her spine as her mind raced. Were the Ganglion really attacking the ship? No, that couldn’t be. They would have definitely felt the impact of an explosion that powerful. But if the Ganglion weren’t targeting the Ma-non ship, then the explosion would have had to come from-

“The city...”

Her eyes widened in shock as she spoke those words. Even all the way from NLA, the sounds of battle could still be heard inside the ship. Up until now, however, the battle had only registered as a murmur. An explosion that loud had to have been massive.

Her body tensed up as fear gripped her heart. “Ashton,” she whispered .

Just then, Chelsea spotted a young Nopon wandering around the balcony in a panic. She could tell that he was a boy from the sound of his voice; he seemed to be calling out to someone, but she couldn’t make out exactly. Curious, she walked up to him.

“Mamapon? Dadapon?” the Nopon whimpered as his search continued to bear no fruit.

She stepped forward and knelt down behind the Nopon. 

“Um, excuse me?” she asked, tapping his shoulder. “Are you lost?”

Startled, the Nopon quickly spun around to face her. “WAAAUUGH!” 

The young xenoform stumbled and flipped over backwards. Chelsea winced. Perhaps she had been just a little too close for comfort. The Nopon, now quivering in fear, covered his eyes with its wings. As dire as the situation was, Chelsea couldn’t help but find the whole visual rather funny. She stifled a laugh and placed a comforting hand on the Nopon’s shoulder. 

“H-hey, it’s okay. Don’t worry, I’m a BLADE,” she said, before adding “Well, almost, anyway.”

The Nopon cautiously opened one of his wingtips and stared at her for a good while before speaking again. “P-pretty lady is friendpon?”

She nodded and gave a half smile. “Mhm! My name is Chelsea. What’s your’s?”

“J-juyo.”

“Where are your parents, Juyo?”

Puyo shook his head. “J-juyo doesn’t know! Juyo was with Mamapon and Dadapon and then- and then there was big boom-boom and then, and then, and then-”

“Hey, it’ll be alright,” she said, trying to calm the Nopon down. “So you lost them around here?”

Juyo nodded. “Juyo look everywhere for them, b-but…” Tears were starting to well up in his eyes. 

“Oh, you poor thing,” she said, as she picked him up and held him in her arms. He began sobbing loudly. “There there, Juyo,” she whispered, patting his back. 

Juyo continued crying into her chest. “M-mamapon...Dadapon…” 

His parents must be worried sick by now. She looked up and surveyed the immediate area for a BLADE who could help, but each one was busy being mobbed by a group of panicked refugees.“Damn,” she muttered. It looked like the guards weren’t going to be helpful anytime soon. 

Just then, she came to a realization. She smiled and set him back down. 

“You know,” she said as she sat down, “maybe it’s taking so long for your parents to find you because you’re moving around the ship so much. I’m sure they’ll find us eventually if we just stay put.”

Why bother trying to solve a problem that would eventually solve itself, right? It’s what Ashton had always said to her. Juyo wiped his eyes. “R-really?”

“Of course! They’re your family. They wouldn’t just leave you behind.” 

“O...okay…”

“Hey,” Chelsea called Juyo over to her lap. “Come sit here with me until your folks get here.”

The Nopon happily waddled over and plopped down on her lap. She smiled, and began to wrap Ashton’s jacket around him. 

“There,” she said, her voice warm and tender. “That feels a lot better, right?”

Juyo tugged the jacket even tighter. “So cozy and warm for Juyo! Mmm...” 

Chelsea giggled. It seemed the Nopon had already started to nod off. She felt his breathing slow down as he rested on her lap. 

“We’re the same, you and I,” she whispered, mostly to herself. “Waiting on our family.”

Without thinking, she started petting the tuft of hair on Juyo’s head. She was grateful to have found a kindred spirit in such dire circumstances. Though it did little to assuage her own fears, easing Juyo’s anxiety was comforting in its own way. Perhaps this too,was another battle that needed to be won.

He looked up to her and asked, “When will the boom-booms stop?”

The question caught her off guard. “Oh. Um…” Her expression darkened as she struggled to find the right words. Finally, she answered. “They’ll be over soon.”

Juyo didn’t look convinced. “Juyo don’t like boom-booms,” he said despondently.

“Hey,” Chelsea replied. “My brother’s out there with the other BLADEs. They’re going to stop the boom-booms. I promise” 

“B-brotherpon will stop them?”

She nodded confidently. “Ashton...my brother...He’s really strong. He promised me he’d return as soon as the boom-booms stop. So don’t you worry, alright?” Her words were directed to herself as well as to Juyo. Ashton was family. He wouldn’t leave her behind, right? 

She sighed. If only she could live in a world where promises could stop bullets. “We’ll get through this Juyo,” she said, holding him closer toward her. “Don’t you worry about a thing.”

The two of them exchanged smiles. Soon, Juyo was out like a light once again. She looked over at the entrance to the hallway leading out to the docks. Having faith in something she had no control over was difficult, but that was all she could do now. 

Ashton would come back. He promised. He promised.

Suddenly, she heard a voice calling from somewhere. 

“Juyoooooo! Juyooooooo, where are yoooouuuuu!”

Chelsea turned to face the direction of the voice. A pair of Nopon were wandering nearby. 

“Hey, Juyo! Juyo!” she called, shaking him awake. “I think your parents are here!”

Juyo sprang to life “Mamapon!? Dadapon?” he called out. 

Once he had spotted his parents, he immediately bounced from Chelsea’s lap and dashed toward them.

“Hey!” Chelsea yelled as she got up and started to follow him.. “Juyo, be careful!”

She tried her best to catch up, but Juyo was already hugging his mother and father.

“M-Mamapon! Dadapon!” Juyo yelled, tears of joy streaming down his face. 

Juyo’s mother returned the embrace tenfold. “Oh Juyo! Mamapon was worried sick about you!”

“Don’t you ever run off like that again!” said his dad in a stern, but relieved tone.

“O-Okay, Dadapon…” 

“Oh, Juyo! Dadapon’s just so glad you’re safe!” 

“Were you scared?” his mother asked.

Juyo nodded. “Juyo was at first.” He let go of the hug, and pointed at Chelsea. “But the pretty BLADE lady made it all better.”

“Oh?” asked his father. 

“Mhmm!” Juyo nodded happily. “She waited with me until you found me, Dadapon!”

“Is that so?” Juyo’s father approached Chelsea and extended his wing. “Then I guess we both owe you our thanks.”

Chelsea bent down and shook his wing. “Just doing my job, sir,” she said with a smile.

Juyo’s father nodded, then ran off to join his son, who was already being smothered in his mother’s embrace. Chelsea stood back up and smiled as she observed the three of them. It seemed that this battle, at least, had been won.

Just then, a voice rang out from the ship’s broadcast system.

It was the Director General. “Attention, citizens of New Los Angeles. This is Director General Maurice Chausson.”

Chelsea inhaled sharply. This was probably news from the front; however, she couldn’t read his monotone well enough to tell if it was good news or bad. The next few seconds passed like hours as the entire ship held their breath in anticipation.

“I am pleased to report that all Ganglion forces have been routed from NLA.”

Unfortunately, if the Director General had anything more to say, no one on that ship ever got the chance to hear it. At the word ‘pleased,’ everyone on board, human and xenoform alike, had broken into an uproar of jubilation. 

But Chelsea didn’t join in on all the cheering and yelling and the hugging. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her chest, and she didn’t know how to react. Too stunned to fully register what had happened, she instead leaned against the wall, and breathed the biggest sigh of relief of her life. 

In front of her, Juyo and his family were jumping for joy, lost in each other’s embrace. She chuckled. For the time being, it looked like humanity still had hope.

“Heh,” she said to herself. “Looks like you did it, Ashton.”


End file.
